Whatever it takes
by kittenkaboodle
Summary: Zoro has always done whatever it takes, to keep Nami out of harms way. But has that led towards any hidden affection towards the navigator? If so, will she return his affection...ZoNa fic, CHAPTER 4 and 5: A day neither Zoro nor Nami will ever forget...
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first one piece fic hope ya like it so REVIEW damn it!

Disclaimer: Me no own One Piece, that's the cold, cold truth

**Whatever it takes**

**Chapter 1**

The orange-haired girl leisurely strode past the women's quarters of the Merry Go, after changing into a crisp new outfit. Her heals were clacking against the cold wooden floor as she walked. Walking down the hall, she could smell the familiar allure of Sanji's delightful cooking, making her turn towards the kitchen. As she was near finished with her stroll to the kitchen, she quickened her pace as the aroma seemed to call out to her. _Eat me._ Her walk transformed into a delicate sprint. While running she failed to catch sight of the fast-paced man also running. The girl's trance like state was interrupted with a thud of her head against the man's chest, toppling him over onto the ground, the man beneath her.

After the two crashed to the ground, she found herself with her head lying contently on the chest of the muscular frame, with her eyes closed from the frightful impact. When her eyes opened, they widened to see who was underneath her. _"Zoro" _she whispered under her breath.

"Nami? Watch where you're…," Zoro's sentence went to a halt as he looked deep into Nami's brown eyes. Surprisingly, Nami did not want to get up and regain her posture, as she sent her gaze flying into his eyes forcing her own to go half-lidded. Faces only inches away.

Snapping back to reality, Nami realized where she was, and quickly slid of Zoro and rose from his solitary figure. She offered her hand, to help him up. Zoro saw her hand and smacked it away from his.

"Watch where you're going you wench," he barked.

"Sorry."

Zoro picked him self up in one swift movement and stood before Nami, and then strode past her. Before he was out of sight, "By the way, where were you headed, Zoro?" she said with a smirk.

"Breakfast," he responded coldly.

"I thought you hated Sanji's cooking?"

"I said I hated the shitty cook, not his cooking."

"Mm."

As Zoro headed off towards the kitchen, he and Nami both noticed a certain rubber boy, running in the same direction.

"Luffy! Slow down!" yelled Zoro as the dim-witted captain flew by the two crew members.

"MEAT!" Luffy bellowed, not heeding Zoro's angry words, and zooming past them and into the kitchen. Zoro walked into the kitchen as well.

Nami let out a lengthy sigh and shook her head, following the swordsman into the room.

"NAMI-SAN!" Sanji shrieked as the navigator entered, with a hungry look on her face.

"Oh, hello Sanji-kun," said Nami.

"My darling, I'm so glad to see you!" The love struck cook screeched, "You must be famished, my lovely, how awful of me to let a beautiful lady such as yourself go hungry, I'm such a horrible person."

"Oh, I'm such a horrible person," mimicked Zoro causing Luffy to go into a hysteric laughing fit.

"But you are," said a pesky young marksman in Zoro's diirection.

"Usopp," he grunted, "You've got three seconds to get out of this room before I slice that sharp tongue of yours clean off."

"You wouldn't dare," cowardly Usopp mocked.

"One!" The skilled swordsman yelled, unsheathing his main katana.

"Yipes!" Usopp shrieked as he fled the kitchen, with an empty stomach. It was obvious he wouldn't be eating today.

"Quit interrupting you good for nothing bastard," Sanji roared. "Now, where was I? Oh, darling would you like some breakfast?" he asked turning to Nami. He grabbed Nami's hand and kissed it gently, making a certain swordsman wince with digust. The chef continued, "If you do not wish to have the pancakes I prepared I can whip up whatever you like, sweetheart."

"No, Sanji, there's no need to go through the trouble. I'll just have, what the rest of the crew is having." Nami responded waving her hands defensively.

"Coming right up precious."

Nami sat down on a slim barstool, right in between Luffy and Chopper.

"How did you sleep, Nami," asked Chopper sweetly.

"Fine, accept for a slight headache… Uh Oh," Nami realized that she would worry the tiny blue-nosed reindeer, and covered her mouth with her palms.

"Oh dear, I'll go make you a potion," Chopper said as he ran for the door, and into his room.

After Chopper left, Zoro sat in Chopper's seat, right next to Nami. Zoro licked his lips hungrily, awaiting his meal. Sanji sat a plat of hotcakes in front of each of the crewmates, Nami's plate laced with cherries.

"OH, BOY!" yelled the rubber captain. "MEAT!" Luffy took a rather large bite of his breakfast.

" Luffy you dolt, there's no meet in that!" screeched Sanji, causing both Nami and Zoro to laugh uncontrollably, at their oblivious captain, Zoro slamming his hand on the table, rattling it.

Luffy instantly spit out the food, which was obviously not meat.

"Eww," howled Luffy in disgust, "Real men eat meat, not flimsy pancakes, Sanji."

"FLIMSY!" Roared Sanji with blind fury, and lunged forward at Luffy. "How dare you insult a chef's masterpiece, you ungrateful son of a bitch!"

Zoro and Nami were still laughing hysterically, as Sanji began kicking the , gum gum, boy with great force. Suddenly, in all the commotion, I gigantic BANG! was to be heard, and the Merry Go shook violently.

Everyone jumped, startled.

"What the hell was that!" screamed Zoro.

The whole crew, including Robin, Chopper and Usopp, ran out onto the deck of the ship. Robin threw down her book with many arms. Usopp put on his goggles that he received in Roguetown and grabbed his bag of endless tools and weapons. Chopper stopped making his potion and grabbed his rumble ball. They all headed out onto the deck.

They all met up at the front of the ship.

"Captain-san, it seems we are under attack." Robin said calmly.

"WE ARE?" asked Luffy, oblivious, as always. Everyone anime fell.

The ship docked next to the Merry Go, and the crew of about 50 men came aboard. The crew was not special and not well known; the captain didn't even have a bounty on his head. The captain of the enemy crew stepped forward.

"Please, we do not wish to fight, but we will if we do not get all of your treasure, so don't be stupid and surrender now, and no one will get hurt." He demanded.

"This treasure? No way, you'll never get your hands on a single berry," responded the stubborn navigator.

"Yeah, and fighting you and your crew isn't worth the time, but…if you insist," Zoro said with a slight smirk on his face, and unsheathed his sword, "give it your best shot."

"Alright, let's go," replied the enemy captain, as he unsheathed his own sword. And his small armada lunged forth.

"GUM GUM BULLET!" yelled Luffy, as he struck one of the men.

"HOT SALSA STAR!" roared Usopp, while shaking with fear, and striking another man.

Robin's many arms came out to grab another from underground, so Sanji could kick him.

"ONI," started Zoro, "GIRI!" and he ran and attacked the captain head on, knocking him down.

"TAKE THIS!" shouted Nami as she smacked a member of the crew with her steel rod. The force of the blow caused Nami to fall backwards, and hit the side of the boat forcing her to fall overboard. But before she hit the crashing waves beneath her, Zoro ran to the edge of the boat and got a hold of her arm, preventing her from falling into the ocean. He pulled Nami up and pulled her towards him in a protective embrace. Nami shuttered from the impact.

And one by one the other straw hat pirates took the other members of the armada down.

Finally, with one last blow Luffy attacked the final man, and he had fallen.

_I hoped you liked my first chapter, it took me a long and is a bit rushed but I have to go to that hell hole I like to call Junior High now. Later…_


	2. Chapter 2

_If ya didnt already know, my pen name used to be Shadowmaniac but now I changed to Kittenkaboodle, aint it cute!_

**Responses to Reviews**:-

_Lilosan: thanks, glad ya liked it_

_Gothywolfie: thanks for the review, which reminds me (no offence) shouldn't you be updating YOUR story instead of reading mine ,tisk tisk, _**Cant hate what you love**_ is very good you should update very soon._

_Wah: thanks so much, I really love ZoNa fics too._

_DudettRin101: kewl!_

_Yahtzee: Thanks for the pointers, im not very good with sentence types. Your story(makino/shanks oneshot) was great, you should write more._

Disclaimer: I already told you_, I _do NOT own One Piece, I know its shocking!

* * *

On with the story...

**Whatever it takes**

**Chapter 2**

Long after the crew departed from the deck of the Merry Go, Nami found herself in Zoro's warm, protective embrace_. Still in shock._ She stood still, wordlessly,with her eyes shut. Her head lay against the swordsman's chest, her arms limply at her side; Zoro's arms hang loosely around Nami's waist.

Gently, she slid her weak arms to his torso, her eyes still closed; she pulled herself away.

Opening her eyes slowly, she looked at the man standing in front of her. Zoro, dressed in his usual white shirt and green sash, glared back at Nami with an unusual look in his eyes. They both stood there motionless, eyes piercing through each other's stationary bodies.

And a moment later...

WHACK!

Nami jumped forward and smacked the back of Zoro's head with her palm.

" Don't look at me like that you pervert!" she barked.

"WHAT!"he yelled in responce.

Nami stood silent, her eyes becoming that of a snake's eyes.

"I save your god damn life, and this is how you repay me! By insulting me! You could at least say a "Thank You"."

" Fine thanks. Thanks for nothing!" she shrieked and stalked off.

Zoro stood alone on the deck then after that, fuming at the thought of what she had called him...

_a pervert, that's what she had called him._ Never had someone insulted him so. A perverted thought had never, once crossed his mind. He clenched his fists in pure anger. _How could she have said something so awful_, to _him_, Sanji maybe, but not Zoro. For god's sake he saved her life, damn it. No longer, could he stand the fury, he needed to do something to let all of it go.

An idea, triggered in his head. Zoro briskly, strode off ...to train.

As Nami stalked off, towards her bedroom.She wondered why Zoro had that look in his eyes. In her heart, she knew that it wasn't because he was thinking perverted thoughts, it was the look of...affection. She had only insulted him thinking it was the only way to get out of the situation she had summoned upon herself. No clue came to her mind of what he would have done if she had stayed in his arms.

Would he have just walked off, and left her standing, alone with her own thoughts? Would he have struck up a conversation with her? Or would he have held her longer? What also puzzled her was that it was, Zoro, that had the affectionate almost intimate look. She never thought she would see that look strung across his face. She had seen that look in Sanji's eyes before, but never, Zoro.

It was almost surreal how he had enchanted her wordlessly, by showing a little bit of emotion. She was more shocked then angry when she looked at him. This was Zoro, for crying out loud, he had always shown her the image of a man who would stop at nothing to become the world's best swordsman, and someone who had no time to fool around with the concept of love. After saving her, she knew that he had some emotion in him. And she knew that he had some affection towards her; well, they were crew mates after all.

But then again she could be wrong, maybe he hadn't shown emotion; maybe she just imagined it.

But she could've been right...

Nami's thoughts twirled in her mind, as she walked down the hall, of the women's quarters._ I need a nap_, she thought to herself, when she reached her bedroom. _Oh no, I'm beginning to think like Luffy. Next thing ya know I'm wandering around in search of meat. _She laughed to herself.

She went beside her bed, and was about to close her window, when; she saw Zoro outside, training. He was lifting weights. She decided to leave the window open. Her mattress squeaked as she lie down on it, smothering herself with blankets. Turned on her side, her eyelids became heavy, and she drifted into a deep sleep.

* * *

When Nami awoke from her slumber, it was pitch dark outside. She looked out her window, to see that there was a small lantern outside, about 10 meters from her room. Looking a little closer with sleepy eyes she could see the figure of a man. It was Zoro; he was sittingon the rail of the ship, his feet dangling over the edge, above the bouncing waves. She couldn't help but watch him as he sat there, peacefully. Watching out her window, she could see his green hair slightly flowing with the steady wind.Zoro got up from his spot. Nami ducked below the window so he wouldn't see her. When his back was turned, she looked out the window again. She watched as he headed into the cabin. She heard his footsteps as he climbed the stairs to the men's quarters.

Zoro strode to his room, past a sleeping, snoring Luffy. He noticed the light on in Usopp's room, he imagined him drawing in his sketchbook, or crafting a hand made weapon. He couldn't help but stop, at Sanji's door when he heard a noise coming from it. Looking through the crack in his door he saw that the chef was hugging a pillow and talking in his sleep, "Oh, ladies, you don't have to fight over me." Then, "Oh, Nami-san I love you too." Sanji made a kissy noise. Zoro almost gagged. He continued to walk down the hall, and into his room, and lie down on his bed.

Now, Nami knew, was as good of time as ever, to tell Zoro...

A few seconds later, Zoro heard someone walking down the corridor, and stopping promptly at his door. He unsheathed his sword thinking it was an intruder. "Zoro?" a familiar voice asked, he put his sword back.

"Nami?" he asked in a shocked tone of voice, " What do you want?"

"May I come in?"

"I suppose," he sat up.

" Zoro," she began hesitantly, it seemed as if she was choking on her own words, " I'm Sorry, for insulting you, I mean."

"Oh," he responded halfheartedly.

They stood still for a moment, then, once again, Nami broke the silence as she sat next to Zoro.

"I hate you...," she said simply, leaning on his shoulder, Zoro looked puzzled," for making me act this way..."

_

* * *

This chappie was short and sweet, sorry, but I'm tired of typing. I'll make sure to update soon._

_Next time: The straw hat pirates spot land and stop there for the day, Zoro and Nami get closer,_ _Luffy's completely cluless while searching for meat, Sanji flirts, Robin reads, Usopp is sneaking around again_, _the navy comes, but, hey, what else is new! Later..._


	3. Chapter 3

**Responses to Review:-**

_Gothywolfie: Thanks, now I understand why you hadn't updated.lol. no more angry reviews from me. And yes (as I said before)I am Shadowmaniac, I changed it because I thought it was cute, and I like cats (probably why I like Kuro, so much) This pen name kinda rolls of the tongue, besides I was getting bored of my old name._

_Yahtzee: Thanks again, your editing really helped, If you go back to my last 2 chapters, you'd see that I made some changes for what was necessary in your review. Please review again, like I said before I'm not good with sentence types._

_Omnichild: Dunno, I guess I had a bit of writer's block, here's more story:_

_Trigun0gt1844vv0: tell me about it…_

_DudettRin101:Thankies, and its so kewl of ya to review._

**

* * *

Whatever it takes**

**Chapter 3**

"LAND!" yelled Monkey D. Luffy, standing on the edge of the ship, with one hand on his head keeping his straw hat in place.

Sanji came out of the cabin when he heard Luffy shout.

"What is it Luffy?" he asked calmly.

"LAND!" he repeated again.

"Finally," said Sanji. "It's about time, we aint been off of this boat in days."

Luffy alerted the rest of the crew, about his discovery. They all came out of their rooms, and stood beside the captain: Nami, Zoro, Chopper, Usopp, Robin, and Sanji.

"LAND!" he shouted yet again, as if he was a broken record.

"LUFFY! We know, we heard you the first two times." Zoro snapped angrily.

"LAND!" this time he repeated it just for the fun of it.

"LUFFY!" he shouted again, he was beginning to really aggravate him. Zoro lifted the end of his sword with his thumb. Nami put her arm in front of him, signaling him to stop.

"Zoro, quit it, he's just excited," she whispered. He gave a low growl. A few moments later they had docked the ship, all were truly grateful to be back on solid ground. As usual, the first thing that came to Luffy's mind was food.

Luffy was about to run off when he remembered something. Someone had to stay and watch the ship. They all drew straws to determine who would stay behind, and stand guard. Before they could decide the victim, Usopp jumped up proudly, and declared,

"I, the great captain Usopp, will stay and guard the ship for my fellow crew members."

He over exaggerated a bit.

"Gee, thanks, Usopp!" Luffy declared, and ran off in search of meat. Before anyone could do anything about it, Luffy disappeared into the town.

Nami and the rest of the crew let out a sigh, at the sight of their insensible captain.

About five minutes later, the crew had set off in all directions: Luffy went towards food, Robin headed towards somewhere quiet to read, Sanji went to buy food to cook, Usopp stayed at the ship, Nami went shopping (of course), Zoro just strode casually around the town.

As Zoro walked around, he saw many things that caught his eye. He saw a sword shop, another sword shop, and well, a sword shop. (Don't you ever think he is too involved?)

Nami also walked around, scanning the several shops. Some, she found to her own liking, such as a clothing store, a beauty supply stand, and even some map making shops.

Zoro looked through the clear-glass windows of some high quality sword shops. He repeated the same line that had been stated, earlier in the straw hat journey, in Roguetown,

"So many swords, so little money."

It was true, the swordsman was truly broke. He had not obtained a single berrie. Nami was the only one with the money. She was the one who handled all the crews' money, and managed the budget. _Of course they had to entrust, **her** with the money. _She was a thief.

If Zoro could just find Nami, he would be able to purchase anything. The straw hat crew had a lot of money, he knew, they just spent a lot of it on food for Luffy.

He turned his head from side to side, looking for the young navigator._ Grr, where is that thief?_ he thought. She couldn't be far, she was always in vicinity of the stores, after they hit land._ Damn it, where is she?_

While Zoro was looking for Nami, Luffy was on a quest of his own, searching for meat. Luffy had been searching for a while now, and still couldn't find meat, and he had no money.

"Oi I know," He thought out loud, "The ship!" he yelled.

"GUM GUM ROCKET!" he declared lunged his stretchy arms towards the Merry Go.

After blasting himself, he landed on the ground, face first.

"ow…"

A few blocks away from the others, Sanji stood against a wall, with his hands in his pockets. Of course, he could take a break from the shopping, and flirt with a couple of girls…a couple of _unlucky_ girls…

Zoro was still searching for Nami, and money. After looking for a few more minutes, he finally found her. But he did not find her where he expected her to be. She was alone, next to the side of a house, near the water line; he also thought she looked depressed. Taking a few steps closer, he knew there was something wrong with her…

**

* * *

/Flashback/**

Nami, peacefully, walked down the street. In her hand, she held a shopping bag, full of colorful items.

As she walked, she felt the urge to have a snack. She stood in line at a snack kart, anxiously awaiting her food. She was almost to the front of the line when she saw a family of four. There was a mother, father, a baby, and a girl about nine years old.

The young girl reminded of herself, when she was that age. Courageous, adventurous, and defiant was all the characteristics when she was younger. The sight made her smile. But in a moment a light went off in her head, as…

"Rachel, get back here, you'll hurt yourself!" the mother shouted.

"Haha mommy, you can't catch me."

The mother with the infant in her hand, picked up the pace, but was stopped by the father. Then the child tripped, over her own feet.

The mother sighed and went towards her daughter, and bent down, allowing Rachel to climb onto her arm, sobbing.

"Oh, honey," the mother said, "See what happens when you run off."

"Sorry mommy."

When Nami saw the child and her mother, she winced painfully. It reminded her of the childhood she never had.

The mother pecked the girl on the cheek.

Nami began to get a tear in her eye, the tear slowly fell down her cheek. She truly wished she had a family. She never had a family to protect her and love her and care for her, to always be there for her. The closest thing she had to a family was her adoptive mother and sister, Bellemaire and Nojiko. But Bellemaire was killed by the devious saw-toothed Arlong when she was at the age of ten.

Nojiko was left back at her hometown, Cocoyasha Village. She missed them with all her heart.

Another tear began to stream down Nami's face, followed by many others. She clamped her hand over her mouth and ran off, alone…

**/End Flashback/

* * *

**

Zoro slowly wandered over to where the navigator sat, forgetting his original idea, to ask for money. He stood before her, and asked, "Nami?" he started, "What's wrong?"

"Hmph…nothing," she whispered, another tear escaping from her cheerless eyes.

He put down his three swords. Zoro sat down, beside her. He leaned over, putting slight pressure onto her side. "No, it's not nothing…I'm trying to help," he said softly, as he put his hand up to her chin, and brought it towards him.

Nami looked at the swordsman, through terror driven eyes. Zoro found himdelf staring at her, the same way he did before…affectionately.

Nami jerked her head away, and turned to the other side.

"Well, you're not!"

He put his hand on her shoulder, gently. Nami lifted her head, and Zoro lowered his, the wall casting a shadow across his face.

"I know how you feel," he murmured, "I never had a family either."

_How did he know that was why I was miserable?_ Nami thought.

She turned and looked at him with her eyes full.

"Zoro…,"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," she spoke with a soft whisper, and through herself into his open arms. But this time she didn't run away.

After a few minutes, Nami cried herself dry, leaving Zoro with a damp shirt. Hesitantly, she pulled herself away, gazing into his eyes, and smiled.

Zoro inched in towards Nami's face, their noses practically touched. Their lips were only milliliters away, and both crew mates eyes slipped close. Zoro couldn't fight back the urge to brush his lips against hers.

All of the sudden the pair heard a loud and violent blast, causing them to jump.

"What the…"

Zoro rose to his feet, leaving Nami on the ground. He looked and found where the blast had come from…

"THE SHIP!" He yelled, and saw a mass of smock coming from the "Merry Go".

He shot forward, ready to take action. Swiftly he sped back to Nami, and offered her his hand.

"Come on," he said, as Nami took his hand, and planted her feet.

They ran off towards the ship. Their hands were interlocked.

When they reached the "Merry Go" they quickly let go of each other's hand, when the rest of the straw hat crew greeted them.

"What's going on?" Zoro asked.

"Why don't you ask Usopp," Sanji said mumbled.

"Usoooooopp…what did you do, you little weasel!" He barked.

Usopp sweat dropped, and lifted his hands in the air.

"I swear, I didn't do anything, I was just watching the ship when it burst with smoke."

_Like anyone would believe that._

"Oh, would you be willing to stake your life on it?" Zoro replied with a smirk.

"Ahhhhhh!" Usopp screeched, and dashed across the sand, as Zoro unsheathed his katana. Zoro, however, stayed in the same spot.

"SHIP!" Luffy yelled.

"Yes, Luffy," said Chopper, "we know that the ship is smoking."

"NAVY SHIP!" he shouted, pointing.

"What…"

The entire crew, including Robin and Chopper, looked out to where the captain was pointing. He was right, there was a navy ship out at sea, and actually it was almost to shore. The ship docked next to the damaged Merry Go, and a leader stepped out, the darkness hiding his identity.

"So…" he began, "Which one of you is Roronoa Zoro?"

_Hope this chapter was better then the last, if not, review & tell me what ya think. _


	4. Chapter 4

_**Responses to Reviews/**_

_Caya strife: You do?…fibber! I think I might have overdid that first part, but if zoro wouldn't have stopped, I would've made him put the sword to Luffy's throat, Luffy'd laugh in his face, Zoro would put the sword down and shake his head. I SWEAR, I wouldn't kill Luffy, he's too cool for that._

_Yahtzee: What another lovely review from ya. I knew you would be impressed when I fixed my mistakes. It just shows the work of good criticism. Oi, WOW! I made only one screw up this time, I really am in improving._

_Night Wind Spirit: Don't worry, there's a lot more to come._

_Gothywolfie: Yay! You reviewed again. I like Kuro a lot, he's so cool, with his ten blades and all, I really like his cat of the bag attack and his stealth walk. SOOO Awesome!_

_Omnichild: Oopsie…and actually it is aggravate not aggrevate, but thanks for not telling me I suck at spelling. You're so courteous._

_Shadow Vixen: You loved it? Really? Thanks!_

_Me: okies!_

_Hana: I don't know what to tell ya about the first comment, but in this fiction they are not at the grandline, it takes place before that, if your getting me?_

* * *

Disclaimer: sniff I no…own One Piece…sniff sniff

**Whatever it takes**

**Chapter 4**

"_So…" he began, "which one of you is Roronoa Zoro?"_

The straw hat crew had no idea what to reply. They were left on the docks wordless. They hadn't expected the navy here, on this small island. They didn't think that they would find them.

The island was on uncharted waters. It was, they knew, a long ways away from the grandline, or any naval bases for that matter. And why were they looking for Zoro, and not Luffy? After all Luffy was the one with a high bounty on his head.

The crew still stood there, stiff as a rock, wondering what they should do. What would be best? Run. Fight. Or compromise. And as usual they chose to defend their honor. Zoro spoke up first.

"Who wants to know?" he asked, and instinctively lowered his hand to one of three swords, tightly grasping it.

"I do," said another man calmly, as he walked out of the cabin of the ship. He stood directly next to the captain.

The man was a slight bit shorter than the other, but still stood at a good height, at about 10 centimeters less than Zoro. But as Zoro could tell, he was a great deal stronger than his captain.

The man wore a thin black shirt with the navy symbol written across the back of it in vibrant blue. He also wore white pants and low-cut black boots, which were scuffed near the toes. Similar to Zoro, he wore a teal sash, wrapped around his waist. What surprised the crew members most of all, was not the sash he wore, but what was attached to it…

Three swords.

Zoro's eyes widened at the sight. He'd never met anyone that could wield three swords except for him. Zoro put his sword back in its sheath, still puzzled by what he was seeing.

The navy swordsman spoke, breaking the silence,

"If I am not mistaken, by the expressions on your faces, you are surprised," he said to the crew, they all nodded in response. "Well, you shouldn't be…" he turned in Zoro's direction, "you should know that you are not the only man who uses Santoryu." He began to lift the end of one sword with his thumb. He gave a slight smirk, before continuing.

"You know, swordsman, you should have expected that someone would also try for the title of the world's greatest." His lips curled even more into a smirk, but suddenly looked more like a devilish grin, "ha-ha… (Pause)…HAHAHA. YOU'RE DEAD!"

Startled, Zoro jumped back, and found himself cornered against a wall. Despite the lack of space, he quickly unsheathed Kuina's katana. He held it in front of his face, trying to block the man's attack. Their swords collided, the sound of clashing metal ringing in their ears. The collision pushed Zoro even more. But, unluckily, being cornered against the wall caused the wind to be knocked out of him. It went largely unnoticed.

Luffy took a step forward, ready to strike. Nami stopped him.

"No, Luffy," she shook her head while she quietly spoke, "This is Zoro's fight; if we interfere it will only make things worse."

"But Nami…" Luffy pleaded.

Nami shook her head again.

"Fine," Luffy sulked. He sat down one leg over the other, right where he stood, ready for a nap. Nami rolled her eyes.

The man rose his sword above his head and quickly brought it down to attack the young swordsman. Still being cornered, Zoro was unable to completely move out of the way. However he was able to move most of his body to the left. Only his arm was struck by the sword. Blood rushed from the rather large but unserious wound. Zoro wincing in pain was the only sign that he felt the blow.

"Did that hurt?" asked the man mockingly, "I thought that the best swordsman in the world, didn't feel pain."

Despite the immense throbbing, Zoro kept fighting, finally inching his way off of the wall. He succeeded.

By getting off the wall, Zoro only aggravated the man even further.

"Hmph," he grunted. Again he raised his sword over his head, ready to strike.

Unable to block with the hand that held his sword, he used his other hand to grab another one. He lucratively blocked the man's attack, avoiding possible injury. For a moment the man seemed to have dropped his guard, Zoro took the bandana off of his arm and tied it around his head atop his short, green hair.

As their swords clashed again, Zoro quickly unsheathed his third and final sword. He rose it to his mouth and tightly clenched it with his teeth. His opponent did the same.

"You're not bad." Zoro admitted while declaring another failed attack.

"What did you expect?" asked his foe.

The man brought two of his swords back past his sides, and lunged forward and executed an attack comparable to Zoro's Oni-Giri. After the man attacked, both he and Zoro were forced to take a step backwards from the force. Both of the swordsmen leaned over trying to catch their breath.

"You aren't bad yourself, Zoro,"

"That's why I'll be the world's best swordsman!" he declared.

"Really, well, that's too bad," he began, Zoro was puzzled, "because that's why I must kill you!"

After he said that, the enemy, once again, lunged forward. It seemed he tried to slash his throat, but was blocked by Zoro's sword. He tried to bring the other sword around, to slice Zoro's stomach. But, yet again Zoro caught on and deftly blocked the attack.

Zoro could tell that his opponent was getting tired, as he backed away to catch his breath again.

"I underestimated you, Zoro," he said, seeming a bit calm and collected. The man lowered his head. When he rose it again, Zoro could sense the fire in his eyes as well as his heart.

"DAMN!" he yelled, "I HATE YOU, YOU BASTARD!"

Zoro looked startled.

"WHAT SURPRISED!" The man was obviously furious. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE! A thieving pirate such as yourself has many enemies, people willing to assassinate you at any given moment. And most of all people looking to capture you."

The man again brought himself into attack position.

"I, myself, am not looking to collect your bounty…but I want…YOUR TITLE!"

As he hollered at the top of his lungs, he ran in for another attack. The man lunged for a strait shot at Zoro's stomach, throwing himself forward with a wild fire blazing in his eyes.

When the sword reached Zoro, the man thought he would succeed at stabbing him.

He was wrong.

Zoro merely side-stepped and grabbed the oncoming sword. But not at the hilt as anyone would expect. He gripped the sword directly on the blade. It pierced the rough skin of his hand, as the wound began spewing blood onto the sword.

The man wielding the weapon, and the other members of the straw hat crew gasped. (Didn't that hurt?). They didn't believe what they were seeing.

Nami, rapidly blinked her eyes, as if to see if what she saw was real._ Why'd he do that?_ She questioned herself. "Zoro…" she whispered.

Zoro, with his hand still clenched onto the sword, didn't even flinch at the injury. To him, it was nothing compared to the damage he's faced over the years.

He gripped the katana even harder. Still holding it by the blade, Zoro snatched the sword from the man. When he had done that, the sword stretched the wound up to his wrists, and he bled even more. A stream of crimson red fell to the ground, as Zoro tossed the sword behind him. It stuck into a wall behind him. The sword that hung from the wall was dripping with blood. Zoro's blood.

Realizing what had just happened, the man took the sword out of his mouth. He repositioned himself for assault, but felt weak, and his vision was slightly obscured with sweat.

Zoro saw his chance to attack and took it.

"ONI" he exclaimed, ready for attack, "GIRI." He ran towards the man and hit him square in the chest with his powerful oni-giri. Blood sprung from his chest as he fell towards the ground.

The man lay motionless on the floor of the docks. The shadow of the Navy ship shrouded over Zoro's face, as he said,

"No one interferes with my destiny."

Apparently, everyone thought the man was dead. They were surprised when the man scrambled to his feet. He still had one sword in hand; the other had shattered on impact. When he arose to his feet the man roughly panted.

"Well…if I can't…kill you…then let's…see what happens…when I kill one…of your precious…CREWMATES!" he yelled. As he regained his posture standing in front of his ship, he took a few steps forward, then smiled. He ran in Zoro's direction, although he wasn't his target. He ran past Zoro. It was then that he knew who his _real_ target was.

…Nami…

Zoro looked behind him, and saw that the man was indeed heading towards Nami. She was petrified. She stayed in place overcome with fear.

Sanji looked over and saw what was happening and yelled, "NAMI!"

"NO!" yelled Zoro. Without thinking Zoro dropped his swords and sprinted in front of Nami.

He spread his arms out, and braced himself for an attack. He stood before Nami, between her and the opponent. He looked at her. In his eyes, Nami didn't see the fear she expected in his eyes. She saw confidence, with out a trace of fear. For a moment time seemed to go in slow motion. Then…

"ZORO!" she yelled, as the blade slashed his back, opposite to the Mihawk scar. Zoro fell to the ground.

Nami kneeled down beside his limp body. A single tear slid down her cheek, and mixed with his blood.

"So much for the world's greatest swordsman, hmph." The man said as he began to laugh, as he walked towards his ship.

Dreading the worst, Nami quietly kneeled next to Zoro. Her eyes widened, when she saw him slowly turn his head, and look at her. His lips slowly curled into a gentle smile. He propped himself up with his sword. He stood up delicately, blood shedding from his back, and slightly from his arm. Slowly he got up and started to walk towards the man who had struck him. As he regained a little more strength he quickened his pace, a few steps behind the man.

The man jumped up when he felt a bloody hand on his shoulder and heard someone whisper in his ear, "A scar on the back is a great dishonor." Zoro murmured.

The man gasped with his last breath of air. Zoro had slashed the man in the back with all three of his swords. The man fell off the dock and into the water, motionless, and lifeless.

Frightened, the navy crew went in the ship and quickly departed off.

After Zoro had attacked, he grinned before falling down to the ground. Nami and the rest of the crew mates rushed to Zoro's side.

He opened his eyes and looked at Nami.

"Don't worry," he whispered, "I'll always be here…."

She worriedly smiled and put her hand on his back, getting drenched in his blood. It stained her clothes, but she didn't care.

Chopper quickly came to dress Zoro's wounds.

* * *

Was that long enough for ya?

Sorry I didn't give the man a name, I just couldn't think of one. I'm really bad at finding names for made up characters…Later,

* * *

REVIEW 


	5. Chapter 5

**Responses to Reviews:**

_Shadow Vixen: Names are hard (make brain hurt)._

_Omnichild: I think so, well, according to spell check._

_Gothywolfie: Thanks! I can Luffy grin too!_

_Yahtzee: You are a good critic, and it does help. You are also a talented writer, your OneShot (Questions?) was very well written. **thumbs up**_

_Me: I love complimants! Thanks!_

_Hikari Dragoness of Light: Well, if you like romance, you'll like this chappie._

_Mushroom Pizza: Me too! And yes he did._

_Mnem13osyne: Thank you!_

_Hana: Oh, well, I guess this is after that then…I think…I dunno._

_Illustratedperson: Go ILLUSTRATED, ahh…um…GO ILLUSTRATEDPERSON!_

_Santoryuu3blades: ZoNa is my alltime fave pairing._

* * *

Disclaimer: I no own One Piece!

**Whatever it takes**

**Chapter 5**

Hours after the 'scenario' with the navy, Zoro lay in his hammock, a while after they departed from the island they recently visited. Bandages smothered his muscular frame. Although, no longer feeling immense pain, Zoro was still slightly weak, and injured.

He hated himself for letting his opponent attack and succeed two times. The other wound on his hand and wrist was caused by his own foolishness, when he stubbornly grabbed the blade with his bare skin.

Eventually, he knew, the injuries would soon form scars, located on his hand, shoulder and back. And as he had said before, a scar on the _back_ was a great dishonor.

As Zoro lay there, he began to get bored. Finally, he decided to just take a nap.

A moment later, his loud snores were the only noise to be heard, in the small room.

Like Zoro, Nami was also bored. She paced the deck, looking for something, anything to do. Earlier, she had tried to concentrate on her maps, and failed. Too many thoughts crowded her mind. Most were about Zoro. For some strange reason, she couldn't get him out of her mind. She, halfheartedly, convinced herself that it was just because her fellow crew mate was injured, and she was worried for the sake of his health.

Deep down, she knew that that was not the case. But, being so stubborn, she couldn't admit it. Not even to herself.

While pacing, she wore herself out, and sat down on the floor to rest.

Zoro awoke from his short nap, which lasted about half an hour. He stretched himself out in a way, similar to a cat. He yawned loudly, and sat up straight.

"What should I do now?" he asked himself aloud. He wanted to train very badly, but Chopper strictly forbade him from doing so, because of his injuries.

He stretched out his (non-injured) arm out towards one of his swords. He tightly grasped it in his hand, and pulled it forward. Propping himself up with his sword, he slowly rose himself up and out of his hammock.

He weakly set his feet on the hard wooden floor, and slowly straightened out his wounded back. Taking a few steps forward, he gradually regained his balance. Eventually, he was able to walk around without the help of his sword. He set it off to the side and began to walk normally.

He reached for the handle on his door and with a slight turn of his wrist, he opened the door.

He stepped out onto the deck. He took a look around and didn't see any of his crew members. Zoro stopped walking, and leaned against the wall, sighing. The sound of the waves sounded like an orchestra to his ears. It was both loud and soothing. To him the ocean always looked and sounded the same. They changed shape and size, sometimes rolling in opposite directions.

Today, it seemed as if the waves rolled perfectly, all towards the sunset, and throwing mist into the air. The mist created a translucent haze above the sea. The waves were also calm, the 'Merry Go' scarcely moving as it glided across the eternal blue. The sight was amazing, truly amazing.

Zoro seemed lost in a trance, when he heard a familiar noise._ Nami…_.He knew that sound anywhere. It was the sound of Nami's heels. Maybe it was because it was the only pair of shoes she wore. Or maybe it was the unique sound of the way her heels as they flopped against the wooden sole.

"Hey," he said quite simply.

"Hi, Zoro," she responded solemnly, "How's your cuts?"

"Fine."

Nami walked a bit closer towards Zoro, and stood beside him, a bit closer than usual. They were close enough that Nami could feel the warmth radiating from his body. It gave her a sense of contentment.

"…Um…Zoro?" Nami asked nervously.

"Hmph." He replied, with his eyes closed as he listened to the sounds of the rolling waves.

"Why did you do that?"

"What?" he asked her, puzzled. He forced his eyes open and looked at her.

"…save me…" Nami finished.

He lowered his gaze to her eyes, as she looked into his. Zoro could see the questioning expression spread across her face. "W-well…I…uh…," he stuttered with his words.

Nami turned her head slightly to the side, as to question him further.

_I don't know. _Zoro thought to himself._ I just did…it must've been instincts, I guess._

He couldn't reply. He just didn't know how to summon up the words for what it was he felt. Seeing no resolution, he just stared deeper into Nami's eyes.

He, again, couldn't help but feel the need to brush his lips against hers.

He slightly turned his head to the opposite of her head. And, on impulse, he rose his rough and bandaged hand to her face, and tucked a lose strand of orange hair behind her ear, feeling the softness of her delicate skin.

Nami's stomach began to turn as he touched her. Her gaze never left his.

Zoro put his other arm loosely around her waist. Slowly he lowered his face and closed his eyes. Their lips were only a few centimeters away. Their face's were so near together, that Zoro could feel her hot breath against his skin.

Nami shut her eyes as well.

Time seemed to freeze, as he gently brushed his lips against hers. Zoro tenderly pulled her closer to him.

The kiss deepened slightly as a few seconds passed. Nami stood patiently as his tongue slowly entered the vicinity of her mouth. It was intoxicating, if anything. For a moment, Nami almost pulled away, but didn't, and for one reason only.

She didn't want to.

Zoro pulled apart, but only for a moment, to catch his breath. A moment after he did so, he kissed her again. Only this time, it felt right, to him, as well as for Nami. He slowly moved his lips above hers.

Again, he pulled apart. Without opening their eyes, Zoro pulled Nami in, with her head on his chest. He contently embraced her, as the world went on around them.

* * *

Little did they know, that someone was watching, close by. The one watching the two people, backed away from his/her hiding place, and walked into the cabin, a sly smile spreading across the person's face.

* * *

Nami's head lay on Zoro's chest. She listened to the steady beat of his heart.

Zoro put his face down, and kissed the top of Nami's head then whispered, "Do you still hate me?"

A grin spread across his face.

_

* * *

Sorry if ya think this was short, but I didn't really wanna drag it on for much longer. And besides…yawn…I'm tired. So ya just gonna have ta wait for next weeks update. Later…_

_REVIEW_


	6. Chapter 6

**Responses to reviews:**

_**Omnichild:** Yup! Sorry, I made you wait longer than normal._

_**Shadow Vixen: **Thanks. That's what I thought, plus I'm not really very good with dialogue anyhow._

_**Evvov:** Uh, thanks…heh._

_**Gothywolfie: **Yay, fluff is good. Just like marshmallows.luffy grin_

_**Yahtzee: **wow! Your reviews are so long! That makes me sooo happy that I get reviews from you, for every chapter._

_**Hakari Dragoness of Light: **Thank you sooo much, ah…How did you know?_

_**Illustratedperson: **Wow! You really should be a cheerleader, GIVE ME AN I, "I" GIVE ME AN L, "L" GIVE ME AN- oh forget it, I'm not a cheerleader._

_**Silver 6: **sweet job!_

_**Neko-Yuff 16: **oops, I made you wait more than a week, thanks._

_**SRHumphrey727: **to all three of your reviews: yes…_

_**ANONOMUS: **Okay, let me make this clear, It is Z-O-R-O in the manga and it is Z-O-L-O in the cheap 4kids tv show, do ya get it._

_**Subby: **See review above._

_**Silverfangedgoddess09: **Thanks a lot. That was a real nice review, and…well, thanks. I got marshmallows too!_

_**Fighting Dreamer Naruto: **it was a bit short, eh? And you do know… a lot of reviewers do._

_**Muttz:** awwww…_

* * *

Disclaimer: I no own One Piece

**Whatever it takes**

**Chapter 6**

The navy scene with Zoro and the psychotic man, was not to be worried about by the straw hat crew, the only ones it affected was Zoro and Nami.

Nami was left alone on the dock, after Zoro had left. He had asked her to come inside, but she refused, and told him that she just wanted to sit outside and watch the ship. And he believed her, although Nami didn't quite believe herself. After he had kissed her, she was left confused and bewildered. But at the same time she felt so content, so warm, and so wonderful. She couldn't tell the difference from a dream and reality. The nervousness and rotation of her stomach told her that it was indeed reality.

She wanted to let the feeling go, she wanted to forget all that had happened on this day. She couldn't let go. The emotion stayed within her and the pain made it seem as if it were begging to be let out. But there it stayed, caged up in her heart.

Nami frequently paced the deck, as if searching for answers. While walking, she managed to avert her gaze from the floor, and she stared up at the pitch-dark sky. The moon, luminescent and white, hung shyly in the sky.

When she walked over to the edge of the ship and looked out onto the ocean, she could see her reflection. What she saw frightened her…a miserable girl, lonely, and afraid. She didn't want to feel this way. She thought that she would have been blissful after what had happened, but now, she felt even worse than how she started out.

This day had been unpredictable and far-fetched. She knew that she wouldn't (although she wanted too); soon forget all that had happened on this day.

She couldn't stand to look at herself any longer, her hair was a wreck, and loose hairs stood on end. Her shirt was stained with a deep red, which she hadn't bothered to change. She had a tired and confused look on her face, giving her the appearance of a psychotic woman.

Slowly she backed away from the edge of the ship.

She needed a moment alone and leaned back where she stood, letting the floor catch her. Rolling onto her back, her mind filled with regrets. Not wanting to move, she let go of a tear as it streamed down her cheek. After the previous tear had fallen, another had accompanied it on the ground.

She pulled her legs up towards her chest and hugged them. Freely, she cried, until it formed a small puddle. A pool of regret.

She wished she had never woken up this morning; she wished they hadn't found land. She longed to have never seen the navy. She didn't want the man ever to have injured Zoro. Also, Nami tried to convince herself that she did not want to kiss Zoro. She was only fooling herself.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered to the floor, "I'm sorry…Zoro. It was my fault. I shouldn't have let you save me…and I shouldn't have kissed you…and I shouldn't have led you on…or let you hold me…I should have pulled away. I'm so sorry…Zoro…"

Although Nami couldn't admit it, not even to herself; she wanted all off those to happen. It made her feel loved and appreciated, warm and relaxed, for once in her lifetime. She had always wanted to taste those lips, but now that she had, she couldn't live with herself. And it pained her to think about it. She caught herself wondering about Zoro's earlier question…

**Flashback/**

_Do you still hate me?_

**End Flashback/**

Of course she didn't _hate_ him. She simply hated the way he made her act. A thief and navigator like herself shouldn't act like this. She had to stay strong for her fellow crew mates. And she needed to maintain it in order to achieve her dream, and to help them accomplish theirs. Seemingly, at the moment, being strong was not an option.

For a moment she just lies there on the ground, motionless, that is, until she heard a voice from behind her.

"Navigator-san?" Robin asked innocently. Nami was startled, but her mind was put at ease when it was only Robin who was talking. It was only Robin. She resumed her position on the ground.

"Why are you on the ground?"…but Robin knew quite well, why she was on the ground.

"I'm just tired is all." Nami lied.

"Then why are you outside?" Robin, of course, tried to get all she could out Nami.

"I wanted to watch the ship." Nami lied again.

Robin went over to the other side so she could get a good look out of Nami's face.

"Sit up, Nami." She declared calmly. Nami was surprised when Robin called her by her name, and did what she was told.

Robin kneeled down so she was eye level with the young navigator.

"There is no use in lying to me."_ How did she know I was lying_ Nami asked herself, She seemed to read her mind. "I saw what happened."

Nami's eyes widened in shock._ What! She saw? How?_ Robin took Nami's silence as a reason to start talking again.

"Let me just ask you one more thing." She began, Nami nodded. "Do you love him?"

"What? Uh…who?" she asked trying to play dumb, and then she realized Robin couldn't be fooled that easily. "Well…I-I…um…I." Nami seemed at a loss for words.

"Don't worry, Nami, you can tell me. You will never get this off your chest if you do not."

"Um…of course I don't lo-"

"Nami!" she yelled which was unlike her. "You are only fooling yourself!"

"I-I…" Nami stammered, "I…don't…know." Her words came out honest this time.

And that was all Robin needed; she knew what it truly meant.

She calmly walked off.

Nami was relieved for that to finally be over. Then it had hit her, what she had said to Robin. She said that she didn't know if she loved him (Zoro). It was simple, If she obviously had no feelings for the swordsman she would have just said no.

Now she was unsure of what to feel. So, she just decided to plop over again…and sleep.

* * *

Nami woke up to the sound of her captain, Luffy.

"Nfaphmi?" (Translation: Nami?) the captain spoke with a mouth full of food. "Whfeasht arshe youf doshin oushtfsifde?" (Translation: What are you doing outside?)

"I don't have a… (yawn)…clue what you just said, Luffy," Nami looked down at the crumbs Luffy had dropped onto her shirt, "But… (yawn)…I'm guessing it's…(yawn)…time for breakfast."

Luffy nodded, and shoved more food into his mouth.

Nami lazily got up and stretched herself out; she heard a crick in her back as she stood up. _It was **not** a good idea to sleep on the deck_, she thought. She yawned again, but louder. She rubbed her eyes with her palms.

Nami began to walk towards the cabin of the ship, when she noticed that her shirt was still stained (and covered in crumbs thanks to a certain rubber boy).She strode over to women's cabin, where she and Robin had shared a room. Quickly, she changed her outfit. It was what she originally would wear, a skirt and a black tank top. And upon her feet were her usual pair of sandals.

Quite pleased with her new image, she walked out of her room and down the hall, towards the kitchen. She assumed Sanji was serving breakfast, well according to a certain rubber boy. When she walked into the kitchen she was not surprised to see many of the other crew mates stuffing their faces.

It seemed that Luffy would choke if he jammed any more food in his mouth. Usopp, like luffy, inhaled his food like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Chopper was eating neatly, while Robin was reading quietly in a corner. Nami couldn't completely see her, but she could sense a gentle smile coming from behind the novel.

Nami simply glanced her way, before picking up a plate. As she did so, she noticed who it was on the opposite side of Robin near the spot where Usopp sat.

What gave him away was: his multiple bandages, moss colored hair, green sash and the black bandana tied around left arm. Zoro…

Seeing him, she went and sat down on the other side of the room, averting her gaze. She couldn't face him now; she had too much flustered and mixed emotions flowing through her mind and heart. She couldn't even stand to look at him. It hurt inside. The thought of what had happened to them, twisted her stomach in a knot, giving her a sickly feeling.

For now, it seemed to her that the only thing she could do was try to avoid him.

When she sat down, "Good morning, Nami." Chopper said sweetly.

"Yes, good morning, navigator-san," Robin agreed, keeping her smile in place.

"You too!" Nami responded, trying to hide the bit of anguish veiled inside of her.

Everyone went back to their eating, except for Nami that is. She just looked at her plate, as if she was having a staring contest with it, and she was winning. A moment later Sanji entered the room, and looked at her.

"Are you okay, my darling?" he asked, "you haven't eaten much?"

"Fine, Sanji…just not very hungry."

Sanji shrugged it off, and left again.

A moment later Nami could feel Zoro's questioning gaze upon her, as she sat there staring at her plate. He didn't say anything, but she knew what was going through his mind. He didn't know why she was sulking, but he did feel as if he had done something.

But he didn't know what.

_

* * *

I hated this chapter, but it will get much better, I promose! Anywho…_

_Okay, finally…I'm finished! Yay! With this chapter, I mean. There is still gonna be at least 4 or five more chapters._

_I'm gonna put the romance on hold a little for the next 2 chapters, there will be more adventure in it. Okies! Sorry…I didn't update sooner, but I've been really busy, lately. And I cant believe that most of the people who guessed on who the on sneaking around was, got it right! So happy…_

_REVIEW!_


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